onomastics

on•o•mas•tics (on-uh-MAS-tiks)  n

Definition:
1. the study of the origin, history, and use of proper names
2. the system underlying the formation and use of words especially for proper names or of words used in a specialized field



onomastician noun; onomastic adjective


Origin:
1936; from Fr. onomastique, from Gk. onomastikos "of or belonging to naming," from onomastos "named," verbal adj. of onomazein "to name," from onoma "name"

Related:
Related Words: onomatopoeia, anonymous, eponymous, synonym, homonym

Sentence Examples:
• Essentially we can identify two periods in the development of onomastics in the GDR. ... In the first period the basis was established for the mining of knowledge; in this period, the methodological bases of interdisciplinary research in the field of onomastics and the history of settlement were generally firmly established, and a major part of the material basis for analysis was processed. - Le nom propre au carrefour des études humaines et des sciences, Jean-Claude Boulanger

• The first inventory of Greek names is that of W. Pape and G. Besnlser. ...  This work remains a useful catalogue of literary names, but its utility is limited by the fact that it includes on inscriptions listed in CIG and no names attested in papyri. ... Fortunately, many other onomastic reference aids have been published over the past century. - An introduction to Greek epigraphy of the Hellenistic and Roman, Bradley Hudson McLean

• Of the other names, Shellu, Kushshu, Ḥuluḳḳu, and Zinu seem to be Semitic; at any rate they occur frequently, or in cognate forms, well known among the Assyrians and Babylonians. The others are all very unfamiliar. We are as yet so imperfectly acquainted with the onomastics of the nations surrounding the Semites that it is hazardous to attempt to locate these people. Supposing them to be all of one race, they may belong to a colony settled near Sippara, but the whole style of the language is so unlike the Sippara documents that we can hardly suppose that to be the case.  - Babylonian and Assyrian Laws, Contracts and Letters, C. H. W. Johns

Wikipedia:

Onomastics or onomatology is the study of proper names of all kinds and the origins of names. ... Toponymy or toponomastics, the study of place names, is one of the principal branches of onomastics. Anthroponomastics is the study of personal names.

Sources: Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, Online Etymology

Word-E: A Word-A-Day

nosism

no•sis•m (NO-siz-em)  n

Definition:
the use of 'we' in referring to oneself

nosist noun;  nosistic adjective

Origin:
from Latin nos "we" + ism

Related:
Related Words:for comparison, see illeism

Sentence Examples:
• Jennifer did such a good job introducing this blog that I have very little to add. You may have noticed that she kept writing in the first person plural. This was not nosism but an acknowledgment that there are two of us here. Cooking for Jesus: Celebrating the Christian Year

• While I do appreciate the advances that it brought in many ways, I am sick of the individuality that permeates avery aspect of our modern lonely life. At the other extreme, the traditional way of hiding ones results or opinions under an academic nosism ... is equally appalling today, but I may be hypersensitive in this regard due to my experiences. -Christian Luczanits

• I refer to myself sometimes as "we." Kind of like a nosism, except my reasons are more like "I'm schizophrenic" rather than "I'm better than you." - Much Love, Jane

• The problem is we (excuse my nosism) like the status quo: uninhibited, unrestrained Discovery Channel out-on-the-prowl lifestyle with the freedom to start a relationship with whoever's out there, instead of just settling on whoever's right here. - Huffington Post, Jeff Katz

• Oft derided for his brash behavior and frequent use of nosism, Rickey Henderson is, I believe, simply misunderstood. Which is understandable. - Rickey says Rickey

• We must avoid both egoism and nosism in order to realize the glory of humanity. - Philosophy, Humanity and Ecology, J. Odera Oruka

Sources: Wordsmith

Word-E: A Word-A-Day

illeism

ill•e•ism (IL-ee-ism)  n

Definition:
the act of referring to oneself in the third person

illeist noun

Origin:
from Latin ille “that man; he” + -ism (modelled on egoism)


Sentence Examples:
• Since joining the National Basketball Association, the lanky Australian has echoed the illeists of America’s sporting elite. “This is such a great day in the life of Andrew Bogut, the family of Andrew Bogut,” said Andrew Bogut.

• Well, one possible contribution to toddler illeism is parental illeism, as in "Mommy has to go now".

• There are places where Yahweh, speaking in the first person, refers to himself-or to someone else-as "Yahweh." This is formal illeism, though further complicated by the presence of a number of divine titles.


Sources: Wikipedia, Wiktionary

Word-E: A Word-A-Day

toponym

top•o•nym (TOP-uh-nim)  n

Definition:
1. a name of a place
2. a name that indicates origin, natural locale, etc
3. a name derived from a place or region

toponymic adjective

Related:
Related Words: from topos, "place": toponymy, the study of place-names, toponymist, one who studies place-names; topography, topology, isotope, utopia, topiary
from onym, "name": anonymous, antonym, synonym, metonym - and many others

Sentence Examples:
• The absence of the toponym "Samaritan, Samaritans" is conspicuous also in later biblical writings, eg, in the post-Exilic books, including the Aramaean portions. -The Creation of sacred literature, Richard Elliott Friedman, 1981

• The toponym allows the “individualization of a place that is extracted, through the language, from a space that is globally undifferentiated." ... A toponym generates discontinuity and punctuates space. It introduces a network of differences into the continuity of the landscape and topography. -The sovereign map: theoretical approaches in cartography throughout history,Christian Jacob, Edward H. Dahl, 2006

• Many other interpretations of this toponym, however, have been offered. In my earlier study of this toponym, I agreed with several earlier scholars who suggested that this name derived from either a genuine Semitic expression or a Semetic popular etymology of an Egyptian toponym meaning "the mouth of the canal." -Ancient Israel in Sinai, James Karl Hoffmeier, 2005

The Storyline
"He's been going there so often," she continued, "do you think he's becoming Israelified?" And Anna had to grit her teeth at both the xenophobia and her mother's propensity to make up toponyms.

Origin:
1939, from comb. form of Gk. topos "place" + -onym "name"; back-formation from toponymy, 1876

Sources: Online Etymology, Your Dictionary

Why This Word:
It's a word about words in blog about words. What's not to love? It's a word about place-names and words derived from place-names. Although it should be noted that the Oxford Companion to the English Language makes clear that words like champagne, meaning the wine, are not properly referred to as toponyms, while Champagne, the region in France is.

Word-E: A Word-A-Day